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abigail_spencer's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hannahcg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
1.5
hallbrooke's review against another edition
4.0
Such a strange book. Half the time I was pretty clueless as to what was going on, but it was amazing.
theaurochs's review
3.0
An exceptionally difficult book to review. It does contain Carter's typical incisive prose; but her delightful use of metaphor is here honed to the fine point of a baseball bat. Do you get it, yet? She asks, as she smashes your few remaining teeth out. How about now? Christ, I think that's my eye gone.
What we are treated to in The Passion of New Eve is an apocalyptic hellscape of America run wild at the height of the seventies. Race tensions lead to all-out war, as feminists and pretty much anyone else with a grudge to bear rise up to stake their claim. Sound like an interesting story? You bet it does- here it's our backdrop. The actual story focuses on Evelyn, a young British man who comes to America just as it all starts to go to shit. He has some vivid sexual encounters before running off into the desert to find himself. Instead, he ends up finding himself as herself as he is abducted, brainwashed (to somewhat less than perfect success) and operated on in order to turn him into The New Eve of the title. As a woman, he re-enters the world and is summarily abused, raped, kidnapped, all manner of horrors. Along the way there are as many vile characters as you can shake a... on second thoughts don't shake that, it's a bit too phallic. There's also a recurring obsession with an old movie star Tristessa de St Angelo, who does end up appearing later on.
It's difficult to read too much into the story- not really the purpose of the book to present a clear one as far as I understand it either. What it is doing is presenting damning views on perceptions of women in western culture. This is heavily dosed in second-wave feminism and cynicism about America. It's a weird and grotesque allegorical tale. The intense sexuality on display is so exquisitely and grimly described that it's about as far from erotic as it is possible to be.
But somehow all of these powerful elements just don't entire manage to come together. It could be that there is just too much grotesquery, rendering the final product unpalatable. It's a strong novel- it might have been an important novel, but it has the feel of an overblown short story. Strong ideas, stretched.
What we are treated to in The Passion of New Eve is an apocalyptic hellscape of America run wild at the height of the seventies. Race tensions lead to all-out war, as feminists and pretty much anyone else with a grudge to bear rise up to stake their claim. Sound like an interesting story? You bet it does- here it's our backdrop. The actual story focuses on Evelyn, a young British man who comes to America just as it all starts to go to shit. He has some vivid sexual encounters before running off into the desert to find himself. Instead, he ends up finding himself as herself as he is abducted, brainwashed (to somewhat less than perfect success) and operated on in order to turn him into The New Eve of the title. As a woman, he re-enters the world and is summarily abused, raped, kidnapped, all manner of horrors. Along the way there are as many vile characters as you can shake a... on second thoughts don't shake that, it's a bit too phallic. There's also a recurring obsession with an old movie star Tristessa de St Angelo, who does end up appearing later on.
It's difficult to read too much into the story- not really the purpose of the book to present a clear one as far as I understand it either. What it is doing is presenting damning views on perceptions of women in western culture. This is heavily dosed in second-wave feminism and cynicism about America. It's a weird and grotesque allegorical tale. The intense sexuality on display is so exquisitely and grimly described that it's about as far from erotic as it is possible to be.
But somehow all of these powerful elements just don't entire manage to come together. It could be that there is just too much grotesquery, rendering the final product unpalatable. It's a strong novel- it might have been an important novel, but it has the feel of an overblown short story. Strong ideas, stretched.
colorfulleo92's review
4.0
This was so hard to rate, because it was every star possible. At one hand it was a five stars but it was also a confused two stars and a repulsive 1 stars. The story is by far the weirdest I've ever read and I somehow loved it but it was so strange and wasn't afraid the get bizarre and very uncomfortable. Don't know how to feel but I ended up giving it 4 stars
booksnpunks's review
1.0
Read for uni. Honestly I've got 50 pages left and I just can't. I have no idea what's going on. The whole thing feels like I'm on a long drug-induced hallucination where there's a lot of rape and a lot of sex and a lot of war.
Some part of me wonders if I'm missing something because everyone else seems to love Angela Carter? I get what this novel is trying to do and I applaud the themes and the satire, but the prose is just NOT for me.
Some part of me wonders if I'm missing something because everyone else seems to love Angela Carter? I get what this novel is trying to do and I applaud the themes and the satire, but the prose is just NOT for me.
evert12345's review
5.0
oops ik was vergeten dat ik kon lezen. anyway dit boek is INSANE!!!!!!!!!! als je iets zoekt wat beschaafd en subtiel is ga je het hier niet vinden dit is zo’n klap in je gezicht beide in schrijfstijl en plot je gaat gillen en krijsen periodt.
eml28's review
2.0
The fact it took me over a month to battle through this short book says it all really, disappointed to have not enjoyed it at all